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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27862005">Up on the Housetop</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan'>ericsonclan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>OG World [65]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Christmas Caroling, F/F, F/M, Gen, Post-Canon, Singing, Snow, Surprises, Winter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:08:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,738</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27862005</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It the beginning of winter and everyone wants to help kick off the Christmas spirit with a surprise for Willy and AJ.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aasim/Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>OG World [65]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815361</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Up on the Housetop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>(by Linnea)</p><p>Version of the song that I took inspiration from: Pentatonix's Up On The Housetop<br/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSJ4RHQzGHc</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Clementine steadied her breathing. The cold air caused her breath to fog up as she tried to make sure that it did not waver the bow’s aim as she set her sights on a rather plump rabbit. The rabbit’s eyes darted left and right as it nibbled on some grass, unaware that soon an arrow would end its life. With one more quiet breath Clementine let the arrow free and watched as its aim was true, hitting the rabbit with a squelched thunk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn,” Aasim strolled forward past his friend. “I will never not be impressed by your archery skills, Clem.” He leaned down and picked up the rabbit before tossing it over his back. His compliment made Clementine’s heart warm, a soft smile on her face as she walked forward towards the next patch of lightly snow-glazed grass where wildlife had been spotted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, you’re not a bad shot yourself.” Clementine smiled over at Aasim and nodded towards his shoulder which held two of his own kills. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aasim gave a small chuckle and scratched the back of his head. “Thanks. I think I’ve finally found the right balance in the pull of the drawstring and arrow placement.” He stopped for a moment when he spotted another rabbit. But instead of it being a plump, fat one it looked to be just a small baby. The pair shared a look, silently communicating with each other. It was clear that the bunny wouldn’t give a good amount of meat right now. However, it could potentially in the future and with their bunny hut back at Ericson it could prove useful either as food or as a short time pet. With that idea in mind, Clementine slowly moved forward, making her way behind the bunny as Aasim remained still, his eyes searching for any potential walkers. After Clementine was sure she had blocked its exit she made a sudden jerking move, causing the bunny to scamper forward and get its leg caught in one of the traps. Aasim and Clementine moved forward and studied the bunny rabbit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You undo the trap and I’ll carry it,” Aasim offered with a smile. Clementine gave a short nod and got to work undoing the trap. Once it was done she passed over the small bunny that seemed terrified at first but soon settled down in Aasim’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know you were an animal whisperer,” Clementine teased as she led the way, her eyes scanning for any potential danger. Aasim gave a small chuckle and brushed his finger on top of the rabbit’s head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clementine was about to comment on her friend’s statement when she noticed a walker a few feet in front of her. It seemed totally oblivious to the world around it, completely lost to its curiosity of the snow that covered the ground. The pair shared a look before Clementine moved forward towards the walker. The walker glanced up, its milky white eyes staring blankly at Clementine. With a harsh kick she caused it to kneel then dug her knife into its skull. A deep squelching sound emitted on impact and with a strong yank Clementine pulled out the knife and covered the limited snow on the grass with blood. The walker collapsed, limp and lifeless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s clear,” Clementine looked back at Aasim who moved forward to join her. Sheathing her blade again, Clementine and Aasim return to their casual conversation, never truly dropping their guard while they made their way back to Ericson. Once they were in sight of the school they saw the youngest member of the group looking vigilantly out into the forest. As soon as his eyes caught sight of Clementine and Aasim, AJ’s face brightened. Giving a friendly wave, he turned to let the others know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys, Clem and Aasim are back!” That news made Rosie trot over happily to the gate, wagging her stub tail back and forth at the sight of the pair. Louis jogged forward and pushed open the gate, running out to meet the pair. Rosie beat him to Clementine and received a plethora of pats from the girl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see hunting went well,” Louis smiled brightly at Clem then stole a quick kiss. The gesture made Clementine’s heart grow warm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it did.” Aasim stated simply and moved past the couple. “I’ll be dropping off the bunny then I can help out with dinner prep.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, wait. Let me take the rabbits first.” Clementine took a step forward. Aasim quickly passed over the kills to Clementine who swung them over her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Aasim.” Clementine smiled warmly to her friend who gave a short nod and disappeared behind the gates. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well shall we, my lady?” Louis offered his arm. Clementine rolled her eyes good naturedly and took it as the pair walked forward. Once they entered the gates AJ peeked his head out from the watchtower, beaming at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Clem. Whoa, you caught a lot today.” AJ stared at the rabbits with awe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep, looks like once again Clem has provided a feast for us,” Louis smiled proudly at his girlfriend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clementine felt touched by the compliment and shared a look with Louis before glancing up to AJ. “You need a break, AJ?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The kid shook his head, a determined look dancing in his eyes. “No, I got it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clementine gave a small chuckle. “Alright, I’ll be over by the picnic tables then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that Clementine and Louis made their way over to the picnic tables. Ruby was talking with Aasim for a moment before giving him a loving kiss and returning to her work. Her entire focus was on the carrots; she was slicing them into circles before cutting them into the shape of stars. The redhead’s attention was only pulled away when she heard the couple approaching the table. A small frown was on her face when she saw Louis.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Louis, you went running off in the middle of dinner prep,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And for that I give a thousand apologies, but I couldn’t not give a welcome back kiss to Clem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby shook her head and pushed over a small number of potatoes to the dreadlocked boy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can apologize by cutting these into the shape of trees.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Consider it already done,” Louis swept back his coat tail and sat down. Clementine placed down the rabbits and took the spot beside Louis, beginning the work of skinning the critters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seems like you and Aasim were successful,” Ruby smiled warmly over to Clementine who paused in her knife cuts to look up at her friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we were able to get our part of the plan in place,” Clementine lowered her voice down to a whisper. “Is everyone prepared?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Ruby gave an energetic nod as she finished her first set of carrot stars. “Everything is going peachy here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure the surprise will knock the socks off AJ and Willy,” Louis added with an enthusiastic smile. That news made Clementine happy. They had been talking about what to do to make this Christmas season special as a group but they wanted to surprise the two youngest ones with something newl. Something that would really get them in the holiday spirit. She looked around at the courtyard that was slowly getting dusted with snow. This would probably be one of the last times they would be eating outside before taking refuge in the admin building. Clementine was about to return to her task when she noticed Violet walking forward with a small basket. When the blonde had gotten closer to the picnic tables, her eyes grew large noticing that Clementine had returned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Clem,” Violet gave a small smile then put down the basket on the table. “I got the herbs you needed, Ruby. At least I hope I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby peeked at the contents of the basket then looked up at her friend. “You did great, Violet.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Care to join us, Vi?” Louis flashed a happy smile to his friend. Violet gave a non-committal shrug and sat down beside Ruby. After a few minutes of watching the trio working on dinner Violet began to prepare the herbs for supper. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fifteen minutes passed before Aasim reemerged and made his way over to the picnic tables. “Everything is looking great. Where’s Prisha and Willy?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Working on some new invention or something,” Violet didn’t bother to look up from her work. “They’re in Prisha’s and my room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, well I think I’ll check with AJ about watch duty before dinner,” Aasim leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Ruby’s cheek, making her rosy cheeks even reddier before he made his way to the gates. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The four continued to work until Omar came over with a pile of firewood to get the flames beneath the pot even higher then began to make the stew. It took a while for all prep to be done and for Omar to give the official seal of approval on his stew. Once he did, Louis and Violet went off to gather the others for dinner. Louis jogged over towards the watchtower and cupped his hands around his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aasim, AJ! Dinner’s ready!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>AJ’s eyes lit up at those words. He worked to get down from the watchtower and was soon followed by Aasim. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Care for a special wintertime piggyback ride towards the tables, little man?” Louis gave a warm smile to AJ who immediately returned it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” AJ hopped onto Louis’ back and within seconds the pair was off steering their way towards the picnic table, leaving Aasim to enjoy his leisurely stroll to dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> When the three had arrived at the table they heard the doors to the dorms open and saw Willy scurry out with Garbage who gave soft hisses that only grew louder when the pair nearly fell on their butts. Willy had been so excited for dinner he had failed to see the small patch of ice outside the dorms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Careful, Willy,” Prisha called out to the boy, a worried expression on her face that lessened when Willy gave a thumbs up when he had regained his balance. Garbage still seemed unsure about the whole situation though, burying her face against the boy’s jacket. Prisha gave a sigh of relief and gave Violet’s hand a gentle squeeze as the couple made their way over to the dinner table together. It only took a few minutes to get everyone situated around the table. Willy with Garbage in his lap slid into the spot next to AJ who sat beside Clementine and Louis. Prisha and Violet took the available spots next to Ruby and Aasim, only letting go off each other’s hands when dinner was served. Omar worked hard to make sure each of them had food before taking the last spot. Everyone began to eat until Willy let out an excited gasp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This potato looks like a tree!” The boy looked around the table with a toothy smile. The others smiled in response to that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We thought it’d be nice to bring some winter fun into dinner prep,” Ruby gave a wink over to the pair of boys who shared a look. Their spoons dug into the stew in search for other surprises when AJ lifted up his spoon with a carrot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Willy look! The carrot looks like a star!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Willy stared in awe at the spoon. Everyone shared looks before laughing at the pure joy and excitement on the younger boys’ faces. After a few minutes they settled down and began to scarf down their food which caused small frowns to appear on both Aasim and Ruby’s faces. But it didn’t deter from the happy, joyful tone that surrounded the table. Different conversations went around the table as everyone shared how their days went. After a little while the stew had been completely consumed and the bowls had been pushed to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of Christmas songs,” Louis leaned forward with a smile, “Know any good old timey Christmas songs, Prisha?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Prisha looked over at Louis. “I do actually. One of my favorites was ‘Up on the Housetop’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s ‘Up on the Housetop’?” AJ asked, his nose wrinkling in confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good question, little dude,” Louis ruffled the top of AJ’s afro. “I think the best way is to show not tell, right, Clem?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree,” Clem smiled over at AJ and Louis then looked towards Omar. “Omar, care to help out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Omar gave a short nod and began to beatbox a simple tune. Willy and AJ looked over in surprise as they saw the others shift in their seats to prepare. It was time for the surprise. Within seconds nearly everyone at the table started to sing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Up on the housetop, up on the housetop  yeah, yeah. Up on the housetop, up on the housetop click, click, click.” Everyone around the table hit the table or stomped their feet in time to the clicks. Louis stood up and jumped to the head of the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Up on the housetop reindeer pause, out jumps good ol’ Santa Claus. Down through the chimney with lots of toys, all for the little ones’ Christmas joys.” Louis dramatically sang the song when all of the sudden everyone joined in, the dreadlocked boy taking a spot at the table again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn’t go. Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn’t go. Up on the housetop, click,click, click,” Violet and Prisha stomped their feet while the rest slammed their hands on the table again to match the clicks. “Down to the chimney with good Saint Nick.” The group started the chorus again when Clementine rose from her spot and began to sing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First comes the stocking of AJ,” The mention of his name made AJ gasp in shock and awe. “Oh what a good boy he’s been up to this day. Give him a shiv that he can guise, to attack a walker in its eyes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The table all joined in again, singing and stomping their feet to the clicks. After going through the chorus once more, Prisha got up from her spot, taking the spotlight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look in the stocking of Willy. Oh just look at all the toys you see. Here is a hammer and lots of tacks. A whistle and a bomb and a possum snack.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Willy and AJ bounced in their seats; they couldn’t believe what was happening and that they were in the song. Everyone began to sing once again and finished the chorus when they got to a new section of the song.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m talking ‘bout the Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen.” Everyone started to repeat the reindeers’ names over and over again. Everyone was getting into the song now, even Violet and Omar. After going through the reindeers’ names four times the group sang the chorus one more time, everyone stomping and clapping their hands on the table at the last three clicks, ending the song. They all began to breathe heavily as they looked towards AJ and Willy who sat in stunned shock. Big goofy grins appeared on their faces as they jumped up from their spots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That. Was. So. Cool!” Willy exclaimed, causing Garbage to plop on the ground and wander off with a series of hisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that was awesome!” AJ shot his arms out and beamed at everyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad you liked it,” Louis smiled over at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a lot of work,” Violet crossed her arms but a small smile was on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it seems it was all worth it.” Prisha’s smile grew when she looked towards Willy and AJ.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you sing it again?” Willy asked, jumping up and down with excitement. AJ’s eyes grew large; it was clear he hadn’t thought that was an option but as soon as it was presented he was for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you? Please, Clem,” AJ gave his best pleading face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clementine chuckled at the sight. “Well, I’m fine with it. What about you guys?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone else at the table chimed in, all in favor of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” Willy sat down and gave Rosie some energetic pats before AJ joined him. Clearing his throat, Omar started what was surely not the last time they would sing this song. As they began to sing, Clementine looked around the table, her smile growing as she saw how happy her family was. This was the beginning of a great Christmas season.</span>
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